It's Thursday, November 26th, 2009. It's Thanksgiving Day. I am once again am faced with the plethera of blessings in my life to be thankful for. I will be marrying a wonderful man, have an amazing family and extended group of friends and am gainfully employed.

However, this Thanksgiving is different. Very unique in fact because this year, our country has made me proud and has brought all of my dreams for this nation to fruition. My heart is bursting with reverence for this land that we hold so dear. I need to take a few moments to share with you, my dear readers, why it is that I am so appreciative today.

This past year, our government listened to our president and its people and passed a sweeping overhaul of the healthcare industry. We've broken the chains of the evil insurance conglomerates. We have shouted all the way to the steps of Congress that people's health should not be a profitable industry, and they listened. We made it be known that the quality of one's life is more important than the quantity of money it takes to support it. We've let it be known that among our inalienable truths, the right to quality and affordable healthcare should be one of them.

Our president decided to remove troops from Afghanistan. History had repeated itself, double-time. The mistake that our country made in entering conflict in Vietnam, and the mistake that Russia made in occupying Afghanistan must have been ripped out of our history books. Our desire for blood after September 11th allowed us to be blind to the fact that our actions were only inflicting more pain and suffering on a country that seemingly sees no end to that. We were so thirsty for vengeance that we didn't care about the who's, the why's or the outcome. We didn't consider that entering into an unresolvable battle state with Afghanis would only distract us while the Taliban moved into a now, unregulated PAkistan. And, who stopped to ponder the cost of this war? Who considered that this conflict may have been a contriubuting factor in our recent economic diress? Moreover, besides the financial cost, what about the human casulaties? Who stood up to fight for the lives of our men and women in the military as well as those of the innocent civilians in Afghanistan? It seems as if we as a nation have been under a cloud for so long when it comes to Afghanistan. However, that fog has been lifted. President Obama has announced that our troops are coming home. This news is bittersweet however, as Afghanistan is in no better condition on our exit as it was on our arrival.

Who could be more grateful today for the fact that any lobbyist that rallies around political maneuvers that will allow the corporations that the represent to either keep or increase their cash flow have been banned from all political correspondence? Instead, time that politicians spent with lobbyists have been restricted to sessions in which randomly selcted constituents are able to sit down with their elected representatives and express their interests, and believe me, they are truly special.

Although four centuries have past, are the hopes and dreams of both our forefathers and those of the indigenous peoples of our country that different? Did those men and women sit down for a meal only to be Thankful for surviving the first, and terrible winter? Or, did they match their gratitude with the visions of opportunity for them to create an ideal nation? Yes, their ideals differed, greatly, however how can we not look into the future without a certain air of hope and fear?

Obama represents my hope for our country. Sarah Palin, and any of her apsotles, are weapons of mass destruction, and therefore, one of my greatest fears.

This year, let's be thankful for, and support hope for our nation. Let's not let idiotic, former governors of Alaska cloud our optimisim with their vicious vitrolic.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Let's hope that next year, these fantasies worthy of gratitude will come true. And, that Sarah Palin was attacked and carried off by the very wolves that she supports shooting from planes along with the polar bears that she refuses to admit are endangered.

Make a little room on your plate for that food for thought.